Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2011-12: Ivan Chukarov played 26 games for the Chicago Mission U18 team. He scored 2 goals with 8 assists and 10 penalty minutes.

2012-13: Chukarov skated in 30 games in his second season with the Chicago Mission U18 team. He had 13 assists and 10 penalty minutes.

2013-14: Chukarov moved to the North American Hockey League to skate for the Minnesota Wilderness in Cloquet, Minnesota. He scored 4 goals with 8 assists and was +1 with 28 penalty minutes in 44 regular season games. The Wilderness finished second in the Midwest Division, falling to Wenatchee in a first-round playoff series. Chukarov was +4 with 1 goal and 2 assists in five playoff games.

2014-15: Chukarov had a breakout season in his second year with the Minnesota Wildnerness as the team captured the NAHL’s Robertson Cup. He scored 12 goals with 31 assists and was +38 with 63 penalty minutes in 55 regular season games. The Wilderness finished second in the Midwest Division. After losing its first two games against Coulee Region in its first series, Minnesota won seven straight playoff games to win the title. Chukarov had 6 assists and was +9 with 6 penalty minutes in 12 playoff games. In December he committed to playing college hockey at Massachusetts-Amherst in 2015-16. Not among the 210 North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings, Chukarov was selected by Buffalo with the first pick in the seventh round (182nd overall) in his third year of draft eligibility.

2015-16: Chukarov was one of three players to skate in all 36 games for the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in his freshman season. In a disappointing season for the Minutemen he scored 3 goals with 5 assists and was -17 with 10 penalty minutes. U-Mass finished 12th in Hockey East and was swept by Boston University in a preliminary round series – finishing the year 8-24-4.

Talent Analysis

Chukarov was recruited to the University of Massachusetts as an offensively-oriented defenseman after a big season with the Minnesota Wilderness in his second NAHL season. He has the size to play in the NHL, and combined with his ability to skate and score, he is a prospect with a lot of upside. Exactly how well his offensive abilities will translate to the pros remains to be seen, but he should have time to develop in college. He was drafted as a 20-year-old after playing against younger junior players so his long-term potential is uncertain. With a new head coach taking over at Massachusetts in 2016-17 his future is a bit of a mystery.

Future

Chukarov is a raw prospect who recently completed his first season of college hockey as a 20-year-old. He has a combination of size, skating ability and passing skills that suggest he can be an effective puck mover. His overall game will have to come together over the next few years to reach that point.

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